Jain Farstrider: A Wheel of Time Character Examination

[@Harldin]

If Jordan had lived maybe he would have written and published the Travels of Jain Farstrider for real, certainly would have sold, I think most WOT Fans would have read it. I certainly would have.

[@notchbeard9007]

He planned to write several books in the universe, he went back and forth on this subject a lot over the years, I have done a lot of research on the subject. The only one we know 100% was going to be written was going to be called Outriggers. It was to be a trilogy about Mat and Tuon's reconquest of Seanchan. The second is that RJ had alluded to having ideas for a prequel book about Tam and Tigraine, hinting that there was more to "finding Rand" than we were led to believe. The final two most assume would have been written are the Travels of Jain Farstrider and Olver's story of finding the Shaido that killed his dad set early in the fourth age. It pains me to think of all the literary adventures we lost here. RJs wife Harriet has said he only wrote a few paragraphs about these ideas at most and she wants to protect his legacy as it is. Sorry for the paragraph. xD

[@oliveryoungblood6122]

In an interview, Robert Jordan was asked if he ever thought of writing this work and he said no.

[@jeromecummings3609]

@@notchbeard9007 nah bro this is awesome, thanks. Same is going to happen with GRRM.

[@atheistapostate7019]

I’d have read it. I assumed Noal was Jain after a while. I think the hints got dropped enough.

[@Harldin]

Loved to have got a Tam al Thor book, everything that lead up to Dragonmount.

[@orrinscott-stewart3641]

I figured out he was Jain Farstrider (or rather I suspected I didnt know for sure) when he bad talked Jain Fatrstrider saying he was a fool who left his wife to die and some other stuff cant remember the exact quote. Also, he first met Mat outside Caridin's Palace in Ebou Dar when Mat was chasing Shaine. It was the same scene after the races when Mat got the ring. Also good call on the compulsion. I never picked that up and I have read the books many times. Guess I'll lopok out for it in my next reread. Good Job!

[@amberkelly3187]

This one made me want to cry. Jain Farstrider died clean. 😢 I also cried when Ingtar died heroically.

[@SuperSeeck]

Lan's fight with Demandred, Jain dying clean, Ingtar's confession and return to the Light. These are just 3 of the moments that gave me some real goosebumps. I also loved that one moment of tenderness Aviendha had when she bonds Rand and cries.

[@redhusky7439]

Ingtars change of heart is what and death is what HOOKED me on the series. I was so disappointed he didn't appear as a hero of the horn at the end :(. Was hoping for it for 13 books. Such a great series though.

[@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken]

@@redhusky7439 The references to the horn specify the GREAT HEROES of the pattern are summoned to it. While what he eventually did could be considered heroic, he most certainly wasn't a great hero.

[@IndianaDawn]

When i first read the series back in The Day, I cheered when Jain rescued Olver at the Last Battle. When I re-read the series last year, I had a grandson the same age as Olver, and that time I cried. Such a great moment ❤️ Thanks for the video!

[@BlaHamut]

Mat never read the travels of jain farstrider. His internal monologue consistently references that he always meant to but never did. Which is likely why the reveal was such a surprise to him.

[@warmachine3007]

I had a chance to read and listen to the books. If you haven't PLEASE consider listening to them on audible. Kate reading and Michael Kramer are AMAZING! Their range is incredible and Kramer's reading for Loyal is just awesome.

[@notchbeard9007]

This is too true, even reading the books I mentally "hear" Loial in his voice lol. They really should have him do his voice for the TV show if they are going to do CGI Ogier. The audiobooks are like seeing the books through a whole new lense as your imagination is free from the chore of actually ingesting the information visually leaving you free to see things clearly with your minds eye.

[@troglodyto]

​@BBB H I'm fortunate to have been able to read the bulk of the work when i was in university and had loads of free time. I'm truly impressed with adults who are full-time employed who find time to be able to read these long epic fantasy works!

[@leekelly2509]

He’s definitely one of my favorite side characters, especially after the big reveal. He’s one of the best characters for re-read value, along with Verin, Nakomi and Ishamael, due to endgame reveals or latent mystery.

[@Violetsoul6]

I had no idea what was up with Noal the entire series until his end. It went right over my head. Upon rereads, though, I don't know how I missed it. lol

[@joshuawatts6823]

I did too the first few times I read it, I caught it better and easier on the audio books... I found a lot of things I didn't notice in the audio books

[@tomboyle4312]

Same!

[@RichFreeman]

I saw the video title and thought that the name Jain Farstrider sounded familiar but I wasn't sure why. I do remember Noal going into the tower but couldn't remember how he ended up in Matt's band. Next time I read the series I'll have to have the glossary handy somehow. On the Kindle it isn't all that easy to flip to it, and on audible it is even less so. The X-ray feature wasn't very helpful for most of the books either. Once it gave a spoiler a number of books in the future, and usually it just quoted the first sentence in the book that mentioned the character, which tended to tell me what color their dress was at the time and whether it was divided. :) I just finished reading the series the first time and still need to read the prequel. Clearly this series is good for a couple of re reads...

[@Fromheroestoicons]

It's really enjoyable how Jordan put a fantasy story in his story. But it was true. And our characters meet him.

[@laurafitzgerald7367]

This is such a cool video! Going back and thinking about characters like Jain Farstrider really makes you think about how well Robert Jordan planned even the finest details of the entire series. The Tower of Ghenjei is mentioned as early as The Eye of the World! And "The Travels of Jain Farstrider" is mentioned in nearly every single book afterwards! I love that attention to detail.

[@haas3]

Jain is the man!! Great side character, helps make the world feel lived in.

[@Pduczkowski]

That moment when Noal saved Oliver.

[@salmanalqahtani6943]

[cries on the inside very hard]

[@noelandrews7509]

Olver;)

[@benhemphill]

I think Jain Farstrider as Noal is a great wrap up for this character we hear about almost as often as Artur Hawkwing. His travels that inspired almost everyone in the WOT main timeline to have a copy of his book is best left a legend of our imagination, because any actual exploration is bound to be a let down.

[@Mr_RyanFL]

His sacrifice in the tower was incredible. One of the most touching moments in the books for me. I just loved Mat and him saving Mat's life like and reveling who he was at the same time. That was so amazing. Jain Farstrider was a legend to me too and finding out that was him and that was going to save the crew by sacrificing himself. WOW.

[@christianefiorito3204]

I listened to all 14 books on Audible

[@BedtimeBookworm]

I learned so much, I had no idea about the compulsion. Do we know how did he got away from that, did it just wear off? I had no idea who noal really was until the reveal. I thought he was a disguised forsaken for awhile lol, I knew something was off. He’s one of my favorite characters now. I cried when he sacrificed himself and when he saved Oliver in the end 😭😭

[@brianhudson3619]

Another great video, sir! Thank you. I'd love to see a video about some of the other hero's from the horn.

[@jimmymiller1313]

I just want to say that I love your upbeat, happy attitude during all your vids.

[@anitkythera4125]

In your 12 random facts about the Eye of the World, you mentioned that Rand was initially written as an old man at the end of his life who was faced with having to become the savior of the world. RJ was dissuaded from this by others to make Rand young etc. it sounds like this original character motivation/arc has been reimagined in Jain Farstrider. We see him first as an old man at the end of his life yet he eventually sacrifices himself to save others.

[@thatrealba]

I loved the character of Noal. As you said, he added real street-level depth to the world, and Olver really did need someone who could spent huge amounts of time with him.

[@zacretzer]

The reveal of this really blew away on my first read! The whole end of that book was a rollercoaster.

[@SasakiRenner]

I'm glad that I found this channel, and even happier that more and more people are finding it due to their growing interest in the show, and the books!

[@Largeysize]

Just finished my first read. That moment coming back for Olver teared me up.

[@stevenroetzel9402]

Mat said he always meant to read the book, but Rand and Perrin would tell him about the more exciting parts.

[@Gwendalbes1986]

Great video as always, definitely a great character! Would love to see a video on Verin the brown, she was prolly the best side character

[@dionshaewishum4179]

What a younger Jordan, could have done with this world and characters. My heart breaks, for those lost stories.

[@malikalexander1983]

Can you do a character breakdown on Olver, please and thank you

[@audra9465]

Though, Mat never read the Travels of Jain Farstrider. He mentions at some point that he never quite got to it.

[@timcotton1782]

Noal's true identity is given away quite clearly when he expresses regret for his own actions while pretending they were his "cousin's". It was perfectly in keeping with RJ's style to hold the reveal until the last possible moment, once he understood that much of the fandom was sure of it.

[@rbkstrm]

Thank you Nae'Blis

[@youngduss300]

The two biggest moments that you mentioned both had me in tears.

[@ianthomson5382]

Another character who could have been so much than just an expendable sidekick for Mat. Almost every character had read his book and his knowledge of foreign lands would have been invaluable 😎😎

[@jeanfish7]

After I read the entire series, the hints were there all along :)

[@joshcash5768]

Love the content, learn stuff I missed in My favorite series

[@wanted007ism]

Jain farstrider was also one of three greatest swordsman as per stories, Rand was trying to emulate him back in camlyn when he was learning.

[@flameracer93]

That was Jearom, not Jain; the near mythical swordsman who was said to have fought over 10,000 times in battle and single combat, losing only once, to a farmer with a quarterstaff

[@wanted007ism]

@@flameracer93 oh yes, my mistake, I always confused him with jain

[@cemitchell6496]

Liked your video, as usual. However, I believe Jain/Noal was very important to the story because he showed what true friend/hero was bc he saved Mat several times, sacrificed himself and when he had a chance, he made a bee line to Olver to protect him. Just an everyday hero doing things to make us cry.

[@jn2292]

Odds are that Jain Farstrider was already a hero of the horn and just the most recent reincarnation of whatever hero of the horn he was.

[@joshuawatts6823]

Man, the Tinker song at the end sounds so.... suggestive, when you think of the sly way women flirt in the WoT world.

[@errtu123]

The song is literally about a woman cheating on her husband with a young man, how could it not be suggestive (:

[@revan0890]

Reflection of Sound is the guy who made it. He has turned a lot of WoT songs into actual songs on KZbin.

[@amandaodhner6446]

Fantastic job as always! Thank you!

[@davidh8924]

I think I was crying when he saved Olver.

[@mranderson718]

I always laughed at how Mat outright asks Noal if he’s related to Jain Farstrider and Noal acts all flustered that someone realized he has the same last name as Jain.

[@fairytail4lifenalu86]

I love when you see him in Graendals palace

[@johngraham9117]

Because he did not know, we (the readers) get to meet the famous jain as he is now not as a book in a book

[@matthewletexier]

What I find funny is that Mat said once that he had always meant to read the Travels of Jain Farstrider but never got around to it. That's probably why he didn't recognize Noal

[@MrAmespinoza1978]

How about a video about the Land of Madmen? I know not much is known but i think it would be cool to have all consolidated info.

[@LamboLeGlock]

I’m on knife of dreams and I can already tell noal isn’t whom he seems! Can’t wait for the tower of ghenjai!

[@lukechapman8412]

This man fears no spoilers

[@LeahB31]

@@lukechapman8412 For real though. 😂

[@notchbeard9007]

The only thing I would add is that he was still under Graendaal's compulsion to spy on Jaichim and the Black Sisters but Mat's Ta'Veren nature overwhelmed it and swept Noal into his company. I always like to point this out, everyone knows how strong Rand's is but Mat and Perrin have quite the Ta'Veren pull themselves.

[@foxunix101]

Dude Lebowski ok..... I love the books.... when do we find out nole was under compulsion? How do we know it was Graendaal? Sorry I missed it but I need to know!

[@LightHalcyon]

Ooohhhhhhh this was good. Can we do one on Isam too?

[@michaelpeart3202]

Hey your real good like ur take on the books appreciate the research as well. Question wat do u know of the sea folk like where do they come from and so on

[@markdombrowski9619]

Hats off to my brother who knew Noal was Jain well before the tower of Ghenjei.

[@mephestopholes]

I am a fan but you, Sir make me wonder if I should have laid off the mary jane for all those years. Then again, it also made WoT that much more enjoyable and I never had a desire to break it down. Your content is priceless, even though it's free. Well done.

[@jainfarstrider8754]

Like this character profile

[@frrixz]

Dear KZbin: I understand you want your ads louder than the videos, but this tine you woke up my baby. Not cool.

[@alasarcher400]

Jain Farstrider died clean!

[@darthvicious9182]

It almost blew my mind when Noel revealed he was Jain Farstrider. I kinda suspected it. I can't think of any poorly written characters in the whole series. I was upset with Perrin when his wife was taken, but he wasn't poorly written. Robert Jordan was a great author. One of the best.

[@hyperskylords5121]

i kinda feel like he was one of those nice sideline characters i love the wot for those. also it seems to me he was as an entry for the demandred shara plotline wich to this day i still feel was not properly introduced i mean yeah lets jsut gather a huge and scary army out of nowhere just in time fopr the final battle why not.....

[@jeanfish7]

Oh lord, now I'm re- watching old stuff I've already liked! Oh well, another view can't be bad!:)

[@dallen7660]

So you really offered me some insight into Jain. Especially him being under compulsion. I really believe that he had been following Matt when they were chasing Jaichim at the circuit of Heaven. Was that him (Old Cully?). What do you think?

[@Uhlbelk]

Wait, I don't recall it being Jain Farstrider who brought word to the Ogier about sightblinder. Can you reference where that information came from?

[@Ogrelin]

Ishmael brags about sending Jain, cant remember when tough :(

[@josephnicholson2593]

I might be wrong but I think it was Raen talking to Elyas about it

[@JustinWrobel18]

He litterly forshadows with the mention the journeys of Jain far strider in every book

[@mr_noob5931]

3:11 is it ee-saa-m or is it i-saa-m..

[@misterfitzgerald]

Good choice.

[@kevinh750]

The title itself is a spoiler in conjunction with the cover art.

[@commbir5148]

This sort of thing is exactly why I had to stay completely away from the fandom until completing the series. I got burned too many times by little thins like this.

[@armandog3335]

Super late but thank you.

[@christianrapper]

He missed Thom in notable relationships.

[@igorgoliney9494]

Were you the Hero of the Horn?

[@ubrielbryne7661]

I actually love Jain as one of the best supporting characters in the books. I loved the way his Travels made him famous without being recognizable. I also feel that to some degree his redemption had to have been for more than just the one, end of his life, sacrifice even though it was his life. Some of the way he talked to himself and his thoughts were presented when we first meet him as he saves Matt made me think he was a little cracked which would follow if he had been under compulsion and was fighting that for decades. I loved this character so much that I gave him a foundational roll in one of my characters back when I wrote fan fic, giving him a tryst with a channeler in Shara who gifted him a ter'angreal that worked to always give him a perfect sense of direction, so he was never lost. Thank you for doing this character review.

[@Stewdiggy]

“Indentity”? Misspelled or some inside joke?

[@NaeBlis]

🤔😜

[@someguy5478]

Thank you. Was killing me

[@Ogrelin]

Am I wrong, but wasnt Androl the Ashaman related to Jain somehow?

[@jacoblehnen4372]

Not sure but one of my favorite ashaman by far was Androl. His talent is amazing.

[@svenkropelinrieger1688]

Jacob Lehnen Not only his talent, but his extrem smart use of it. He could open a tiny gateway to the deep sea and cut through stones and steel, if they ever find out of the extrem pressure there. Sorry for anything wrong, english is not my native language.

[@jacoblehnen4372]

No worries and valid point. Androl is dangerous in his own right.

[@amysthe-wise-one8493]

@@jacoblehnen4372: Never fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once but fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times. I see Androl being the man who has one talent - gateways - and finds the most creative and destructive means to use it, as tool and yet also as a weapon. Couple that with the fact that he makes friends and more with Pevara - including a reciprocated bond - and that just makes me like him that much more.

[@josephnicholson2593]

I was really hoping this video would mention that. In the books Androl just mentions that something reminds him of Jain but doesn't explicitly say they're related. They do have many similar characteristics though so I always thought it likely

[@twig8523]

Under compulsion from Graendal? ... Huh, what, where? ... He doesn't fit the usual criteria for one of her pets..... Although... Hmm. One of my paperbacks is suspiciously missing dozens of pages, oddly "censoring" Rand & Avienda's Seanchan sexcapades & picking up in the middle of a conversation between the girls. Help me out here. I can't even recall if that adds up in the timeline, but it's the only place in the books I could've missed this info... Unless it's in the companion book.

[@NaeBlis]

It’s a very casual mention. He isn’t mentioned by name but it’s clear it’s him

[@twig8523]

@@NaeBlis when & where (approx)!? I must find it myself when I get home! 😆

[@EricBentleyEB5minus2]

When the husband's not around the wife can use a "selfie stick"😂😂😂😂

[@johngraham9117]

Matt never read a book in his life. He even says in book 4 that he never read it. Thats why he never put 2+2 together. Thom knew....

[@aaronoyster9627]

Farstrider may not be super-influential, yet He does have considerable influence on the storyline; you may want to reconsider his importance. Remember Min's viewing that without Moiraine, Rand would almost certainly lose Tarmon Gai'don. So without Jain, she'd still be in the realm of the Eefinn. Let the consequences of THAT sink in.

[@Siansonea]

I thought Jain Farstrider was fine. He didn't really make much of an impression on me one way or the other, he was just part of Mat's retinue.

[@stephencreme4617]

Do you realize that you misspelled identity?

[@phlatbrim2732]

You need a bigger white board with multiple facts! maybe throw red spoilers on white board! keep up good work bro!

[@ChristmasLore]

And bigger one. Can't read it even on full screen on my (rather big) phone.

[@thewaterwarrior9817]

I like audible but it's so fricken expensive

[@Nitelion94]

If you sign up it's 15/month for 1 credit. And 15 for a book isn't bad at all.

[@theantithiest]

@@Nitelion94 Or if you're like me (by the way I have about 20 audible books) and want to re-read them all, download them through Pirate bay and listen to them via. smart audible books app - Jordans estate already has about $300 of mine (and Sanderson has about $500!) so I'm comfortable with not paying another $200 on audible

[@thewaterwarrior9817]

@@theantithiest does pirate bay still exist? Good idea!

[@bsmnt23]

Cowan Gamellan had a legitimate claim to the throne, not a rightful claim. If he had the rightful claim, then Lan's father, the rightful claimant to the crown would be a usurper. Small difference, but significant.

[@dcarman686]

The host has such a nice head of hair. I cannot pronounce your name. Can I just start calling you Onion Head? No disrespect it's just easier than Nae'Blis (which I have to copy and paste).

[@dcarman686]

Ease up on the gay stuff

[@christianrapper]

Huh?